The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1616 Working together
Franz did offer some advice to Fanny von Arnstein, suggesting that she could short French stocks, since these bubbles wouldn't last long.

Although the Dutch had short-selling practices as early as the 17th century, short-selling was still a very professional and rare academic term in the 19th century.

Fanny von Arnstein became even more convinced of the rumors about Franz, and thus approached him more boldly.

"What about the Empire?"

Do you think I'm not good enough?

Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

Franz had barely disembarked from his carriage and hadn't even had a chance to rest when officials excitedly reported to him.

"Cholera has struck again! 127 people have died in one London neighborhood in just three days. What's even more interesting is that local officials wanted to cover up the truth by transporting the bodies out of the city for burial, but the workers, finding it too troublesome, simply threw the bodies into roadside puddles."

Those puddles turned out to be reservoirs belonging to the London Water Corporation! And now the pandemic has spread throughout London!

Franz was speechless. This plot seemed so familiar. Were the British planning a biological crisis?

Franz nodded. This was indeed good news. A cholera outbreak would affect all aspects of society, especially places where people gather, such as the military.

However, what Franz didn't know was that the cholera outbreak would have a greater impact than he imagined, affecting not only Britain, but also France, Portugal, Berlin, and even the United States.

In New Orleans alone, nearly one-tenth of the population died from cholera, yellow fever, and other epidemics caused by the accumulation of large numbers of corpses.

The New Orleans local government collapsed, the city council voted to suspend all meetings, and councilors fled with their families to their country estates for refuge. Officials and businessmen followed suit, and the military declared martial law.

Only a group of bewildered citizens remained, and ultimately more than 15,000 people died in the plague.

However, the Austrian Empire once again escaped disaster. The establishment of a sanitation system and the reform of the drainage system made it difficult for this primitive epidemic to spread in the Austrian Empire.

At this time, the understanding of cholera in Europe was also very confused, even though the Austrian Empire had declared that cholera was caused by microorganisms and had even found the cholera bacillus.

However, the traditional theories of "miasma" and "evil karma" still prevail. The so-called "miasma" theory holds that the source of disease lies in the air, especially the patient's farts, which are extremely deadly.

The "evil karma theory" is even more outrageous. They believe that the source of disease is evil deeds, so one must go to church to confess and then be whipped and given enemas to cleanse oneself of sins.

Because of these two erroneous ideas, prevention and treatment often go in opposite directions. People who would not have been infected become infected due to incorrect procedures, and people who could have been cured die because of incorrect treatment.

The Seine and Thames became two of Europe's deadliest rivers at that time. Countless pieces of domestic waste and excrement caused eutrophication of the water bodies, resulting in an explosive growth of algae, along with bacteria and microorganisms.

This brings us to the Ganges River in India. According to records at the time, after a series of investigations, Europeans concluded that India was the source of all cholera.

However, the British authorities in India did not receive any reports of cholera. The British government obviously did not believe the Indian authorities and sent a small team from Europe to investigate the source of cholera.

The absurd result is that cholera bacteria are pitiful in the Ganges River; they can't even grow to a large scale before being wiped out by more powerful microorganisms and pathogens.

From then on, Indians became even more convinced of the sacred properties and self-purifying abilities of the Ganges River.
Franz also had some concerns, namely that the technology of the Austrian Empire was inevitably beginning to spread, especially the concepts of standardization, division of labor, and interoperability.

In the foreseeable future, the industrial advantage of the Austrian Empire will inevitably be impacted unless it can lead a new technological revolution to maintain its technological edge. Otherwise, after losing its technological advantage, it will have to start cutting back on raw material and labor costs, which will not only reduce profits but also undermine the stability and unity of the empire.

In particular, excessive exploitation of colonies could backfire, leading to instability or even separatist tendencies. Fortunately, the Austrian Empire's colonies were directly controlled by the government and military, but this still significantly weakened the people's willingness to colonize.

Fortunately, Franz had already begun his research on electricity, and theoretically, the Austrian Empire would be a step ahead of other countries in entering the electric age.

However, this is far from the original history, and Franz was not quite sure where the Austrian Empire would go.

But one thing he is certain of is that the foundation of future national power will still be violence. As long as the government and the military maintain their strength, they can gain the upper hand and at least have the ability to overturn the table.

The British were also seeking change, and they were improving their steelmaking methods, but they soon discovered that Austrian technology was more complex than they had imagined.

Although steelmaking efficiency has improved significantly, accidents are frequent, and there is still a considerable gap between steel production and that of the Austrian Empire.

Henry Bessemer, the inventor of Bessemer, was in France at the time and became a guest of Napoleon III.

Furthermore, the British remain very persistent about the submarine cable; they seem determined to cross this 34-kilometer strait, and ships and carrier pigeons are no longer enough for them.

Having learned from their first experience of having their cables cut by French fishermen, the British this time did not use hemp rope as the outer sheath of their cables. Instead, they used galvanized iron wire, making them truly indestructible.

As the British ship HMS Blaisel slowly lowered the cable with its massive wooden winch, France dispatched warships to escort it, ensuring that no "foolish civilians" would cut the cable again.

Napoleon III’s actions immediately drew criticism from all sectors of French society, with many accusing him of being too weak toward Britain.

"Our valiant sailors, once pursuers of glory, are now guardians of Britain's 'electric light.' Modernity has its own allure..."

—Le Figaro

"Hopefully, the price of copper wire will match such a powerful naval deployment. Or is this a new form of diplomacy?"

—French magazine "Stupidity"

"French soldiers should be more wary of foreign plots than of French fishermen. You should be protecting our people more than protecting the British cables!"

——Victor Hugo

Despite being thoroughly criticized, the French leadership was still incredibly excited when the first British telegram successfully reached the Tuileries Palace.

"May copper wire and Guta glue translate the raging tides of the strait into a symbol of peace."

Napoleon III immediately ordered a reply.

May the friendship and peace between Britain and France last forever.

Tsar Nicholas I described it as "utterly despicable and utterly nauseating!"

He decided that very day to build a telegraph line from St. Petersburg to Vienna.